Starfield: Best StarfieldCustom.ini Settings for High Performance

Starfield’s performance is often hampered by aggressive default settings for shadows and volumetric lighting that don’t scale well on mid-range hardware. Unlike the standard StarfieldPrefs.ini which the game overwrites constantly, the StarfieldCustom.ini is a user-created file that takes priority over the engine’s defaults. This guide focuses on reducing the heavy burden on your GPU and CPU by fine-tuning how the engine handles shadow maps, flora rendering, and the controversial “film grain” and “motion blur” effects at a system level.

Hardware Compatibility & Expectations

• Low-to-Mid Range GPUs: GTX 1660, RTX 3050, and RX 5600 XT users will see the most benefit in frame stability.
• CPU-Limited Systems: Tweaking the fFlickeringLightDistance and shadow counts helps older CPUs maintain higher 1% lows.
• SSD Users: Note that Starfield requires an SSD. These config tweaks will not fix the “audio cutting out” or “stuttering” caused by HDD installations.

Backup and Preparation

Before creating a custom config, ensure you have launched the game at least once to generate the default preference files.

1. Go to your Documents folder.
2. If you see an existing StarfieldCustom.ini, back it up by renaming it to StarfieldCustom.ini.old.
3. Create a new text file and rename it to StarfieldCustom.ini (ensure the file extension is .ini and not .txt).

File Location

The configuration file must be placed in your local user documents, not the Steam installation folder:C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\My Games\Starfield\StarfieldCustom.ini

Best Config Settings

Open your StarfieldCustom.ini with Notepad and paste the following optimized settings:

// Optimized for GameEngineer.net - Starfield High Performance Config
[Display]
fDefaultWorldFOV=90
fDefault1stPersonFOV=90
bDynamicResolutionEnabled=0
ffLODFadeOutMultObjects=10.0
fLODFadeOutMultItems=6.0

[Graphics]
fShadowDistance=2500.0
fDirSceneShadowMapResolution=1024
fShadowResolutionPrimary=1024
bContactShadows=0
bSimpleContactShadows=1
fGrassStartFadeDistance=3000.0
fGrassMaxAngle=15.0

[Shadows]
fShadowMapResolution=1024
fTertiaryShadowMapResolution=512

[VRS]
bEnableVRS=1 // Variable Rate Shading - Boosts FPS on modern GPUs

[PostProcess]
bInstructionalPostProcessingEnable=0
fFilmGrainIntensity=0.0
bContactShadowsEnabled=0

Key Parameters Explained

Parameter	Recommended Value	Impact
fShadowMapResolution	1024	Halving this from 2048 provides a massive FPS boost with minimal visual loss on smaller screens.
bDynamicResolutionEnabled	0	Prevents the game from becoming “blurry” during combat by locking your resolution scale.
fGrassStartFadeDistance	3000.0	Reduces the distance at which grass is rendered, significantly lowering CPU load in planetary exploration.
bEnableVRS	1	Allows the GPU to use less power on less detailed parts of the screen (sky, dark corners).
fDefaultWorldFOV	90	Standardizes the Field of View which is missing from some versions of the game menu.

In-Game Settings vs. Config

To complement your StarfieldCustom.ini, adjust these in-game:

• Indirect Lighting: Set to “Medium.” This is one of the heaviest settings in the engine.
• Volumetric Lighting: “Low” or “Medium.” High settings here can tank FPS by 15-20% in foggy or dusty environments.
• Upscaling: Use FSR 3 or DLSS (if using the latest updates) with a scale of 70-75% for the best balance.

Troubleshooting & Common Fixes

• Settings Not Applying: Make sure you don’t have a StarfieldCustom.ini inside the Steam steamapps/common/Starfield folder, as it might conflict with the one in Documents.
• Textures Flickering: If you notice shadows flickering, increase fShadowMapResolution back to 2048.
• Mod Compatibility: Many Starfield mods require the bInvalidateOlderFiles=1 line under a [Archive] header. If you use mods, add this to your ini file.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion and Expected Results

Using a dedicated StarfieldCustom.ini allows the Creation Engine 2 to run more efficiently by trimming unnecessary visual overhead. Players typically see an FPS increase of 10-15% and a much more consistent frame time graph, especially when wandering through dense planetary flora or cluttered city hubs.